


A biblical verse advises that pride comes before the fall. It appears Target might have heeded those words.
It’s a brand new day at Target retail stores this June. Consumers will find each retail location a little different than in years past. Instead of being greeted with Pride Month merchandise upon entering Target locations, the retail giant has embraced good, old-fashioned patriotism this year. Where once the colors of the rainbow stood in previous June merchandising racks, now stand the shades of red, white, and blue.
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On June 1, the beginning of the so-called Pride Month, I purposely visited two Target locations. Two years ago, I wrote about a “tuck-friendly” transgender swimsuit being on full display, front and center, at a Philadelphia Target location. Reports of the swimsuit drew a national backlash, and a year later, Target announced it was scaling back some of its pride merchandising. Given the slight rightward cultural pivot society has taken in recent years, I was particularly curious to see how Target would respond.
This year, at the location I visited two years ago, in the very spot where I once saw the “tuck-friendly swimsuit,” there was nothing but festive, patriotic clothing: shirts, dresses, pants, sandals, flip-flops, and anything else one could possibly imagine adorned with “USA,” the U.S. flag, or red, white, and blue colors.
This Pride Month, Target chose American pride.
It was a wonderful sight to behold. Amazing things can happen when conservatives get off the sidelines and fight for the culture.

The only way it could have been more patriotic is if Ray Charles’s “America the Beautiful” was playing over the speakers, a colonial-style fife and drum corps showed up, and Philadelphia’s famous Benjamin Franklin impersonator was handing out pocket versions of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
As far as the pride merchandise, despite some reports on social media to the contrary, it is still present in the store, though much more difficult to find. In fact, during my visit to the Philadelphia location, I had to ask three different employees before I could find one who knew the store was selling such things.
As for where the pride items were located in the store, it varied. It isn’t abnormal for retail locations as their merchandising layouts are dictated by planograms depending on store sizes and models. In one location in suburban Philadelphia, the pride display was located out in the open in a somewhat prominent display area. In the location where I saw the “tuck-friendly” swimsuit two years ago, it was hidden and hard to find.
MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SUSPICIOUS OF CORPORATE SUPPORT FOR PRIDE MONTH
Instead of large promotional displays, in-store advertising now features mundane, ordinary signs with a rainbow. No big words say “pride” on the displays, but the word does appear on some clothing and other accessories. “Pride” also appears on the individual price tags for the items, informing consumers that it was part of a special collection being sold by the company.
I would love to say this will last, but it’s dependent on which way the cultural winds go. It’s up to conservatives to keep that direction going right.